An electrical connector such as a coaxial connector, has a front mating end and a rear end that is terminated to the front end of a coaxial cable. It is important to provide strain relief for the cable to avoid damage especially at the locations where the conductors of the cable are terminated to contacts of the connector. A strain relief attachment with a minimum number of separate parts, which could provide strain relief for a connector of predetermined size and cables of different diameters, would be of value.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a strain relief attachment is provided for coupling to the combination of an electrical connector and a cable extending from the rear of the connector, which is easily attached to the connector and cable to provide strain relief with a minimum is number of simple parts. The attachment includes a molded dielectric housing with a through passage having a front portion that receives the electrical connector and a rear portion that passes the cable. The rear housing portion has a slot extending through its wall at one side, with the slot leading to the cable. This enables a tie, wrapped around the rear portion of the housing, to press the cable firmly against the opposite side of the housing. For large cables, this can be accomplished by wrapping a tie around the rear housing portion, with the tie extending through the slot and directly pressing one side of the cable against the opposite side of the rear housing portion. For small cables, an insert of the attachment is used. The insert is connected by a strap to the rest of the housing, and the insert can be slid through the slot and against the cable, with a tie wrapped around the insert to cause the insert to press the cable against the opposite side of the rear housing portion.
The rear housing portion has a first part lying on a first side of the passage and fixed to the front portion of the housing, and has a second part that is pivotly coupled to the rest of the housing, as through a strap molded integrally with the housing. The second housing part is held in place by the tie that holds down the cable.